Ziehl-Abegg Australia has invested in an assembly line at its headquarters in Derrimut, west of Melbourne.
The $250,000 assembly line has been designed to mirror those of Ziehl-Abegg’s other international facilities by supplying the same range and standard of products, while enhancing lead time requirements.
It is an important step for the German-based company, which has enjoyed significant growth in Australia since establishing operations here seven years ago. According to Managing Director Michael Kelleher, the new facility and assembly line has been a few years in planning and was put together under the watchful eye of Ziehl-Abegg’s German engineers.
“The trouble with importing fans from overseas is that despite their size and seeming robust nature, they are in fact delicate items of equipment, finely tuned for efficiency and performance,” Kelleher said. “With energy efficiency so important in today’s world, any unbalancing that occurs through transport can result in performance being dramatically reduced and product life eroded.
“By assembling fans for our local market here, we can guarantee quality, performance and ensure lead times are met.”
To prepare for the introduction of the local assembly line, local staff members have undergone training at other Ziehl-Abegg facilities around the world. Two of the company’s German-based engineers have also provided training at the new facility.
An important element of Ziehl-Abegg’s local assembly line is the balancing process, integral in guaranteeing fan performance and efficiency.
In the case of Ziehl-Abegg’s popular Plug Fan, the complete fan and motor assembly are balanced on-site as an integral unit, ensuring the balance characteristics of the motor are taken into account.
The balance is carried out at the maximum speed the motor can operate the fan impeller, thereby maximising bearing life while limiting vibration to a minimum.
Ziehl-Abegg sales manager Mark Jones says the company’s current procedure is to balance the fan at partial speed to the calculated balance grade that will provide the required displacement results at full speed; “once this is achieved, the fan is then operated at full speed and the balance is checked to ensure the maximum balance displacement is within tolerance.”
The purpose-built balance room can test fans with motors up to 55kw or 100amp, with appropriate health and safety procedures in place.
Along with the specialised assembly line, Ziehl-Abegg Australia’s new headquarters features over 1,800m² of warehouse space, giving the company the ability to hold significant stock levels of all fan assembly components.
This means the company can now assemble to customer’s requirements, as opposed to the process used by many other fan suppliers where customers are at the mercy of international shipping times to receive fully assembled units.
“This facility provides us with greater flexibility in prioritising our workload and utilising freight benefits to maximise shipment capacity, rather than shipping completed assemblies that take up much greater space,” asserts Kelleher.
This process meets Ziehl-Abegg’s global procedures as well as ISO standards, providing security to customers.
To meet with local requirements, MEPS Australian motors are supplied with options to upgrade to MEPS premium efficiency motors.
“Now we can offer a more price-competitive product, guaranteed to operate as intended from the minute it is commissioned on site,” said Kelleher.
Ziehl-Abegg Australia expects its new facility to assemble approximately 1000 fan units this financial year, with the annual figure to increase as efficiencies in the assembly line are achieved.
“This opens an exciting new chapter in Ziehl-Abegg’s Australian operations, and we are convinced customers will see the benefits of this investment."